Directors

GTTP East Africa & GTTP Kenya

Joseph Okelo

Joseph Okelo is the Executive Director of Makini College. The College offers professional courses in Marketing, Public Relations, Communications and Accountancy. He is also a Director of Makini Schools, a private school in Nairobi that comprises a kindergarten, primary and high school. He is the Director of GTTP East Africa, the umbrella organization responsible for GTTP Kenya and GTTP Tanzania.

Joseph received his undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario, Canada and an M.B.A. from University of Nottingham, U.K.

Executive Director

Nancy J. Needham

Dr. Needham has business, academic, and philanthropic experience. Currently, she is President of Global Initiatives, a nonprofit corporation that houses the GTTP, and President of ICGS, Inc, a consulting firm she founded in 1978. Dr. Needham received a B.A. degree from Wellesley College, where she was awarded the college’s highest honors (Durant Scholar and Wellesley Scholar). A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she received an MBA with distinction (1972), and a Doctor of Business Administration (1977) from Harvard University.

She was a faculty member at the Harvard Business School while finishing her Doctorate degree. While serving as president of ICGS, she was a Lecturer (part time) at Boston University where she taught required MBA courses covering strategy and business-government relations. She also served as Associate Director of the New York State Center for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications at Polytechnic University, where for ten years (1987-1996 part-time) she was the Academic Director of the MS in Telecommunications and Computing Management (for working professionals). She has conducted short courses on strategy and innovation in the U.S., Korea, Taiwan, Central America, and Brazil, and was course head for Business Policy in an MS degree program for AT&T. Her teaching now is directed at secondary school teachers and non-profit managers.

Dr. Needham received a B.A. degree from Wellesley College, where she was awarded the college’s highest honors (Durant Scholar and Wellesley Scholar). A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she received an MBA with distinction (1972), and a Doctor of Business Administration (1977) from Harvard University.

GTTP Jamaica

Essie Gardner

Essie Gardner is an experienced Communications Specialist and has also served in the academic arena. Currently she is Marketing Communications Manager for the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Director of GTTP Jamaica, a travel & tourism programme aimed at exposing secondary level students to the industry. The Jamaica Tourist Board is the government agency charged with marketing Jamaica as a tourist destination. As the JTB’s Marketing Communications Manager. Ms. Gardner has operational responsibility for public relations and brand management initiatives.

Prior to her appointment as Marketing Communications Manager, Ms. Gardner served as tourism education specialist for the island. During this period she pioneered the Tourism Infusion Programme for Jamaica and was instrumental in training other CTO member country representatives to implement the programme in their home territories. She also broke new ground with the formation of Tourism Action Clubs in schools across the island and with the introduction of GTTP Jamaica.

In addition to her work at the Jamaica Tourist Board, Ms. Gardner lectures in Public Relations, Public Speaking and Business Communication Studies at the undergraduate level and conducts seminars/workshops for professional groups. Professionally, she is affiliated to the International Association of Business Communicators and is currently the Lieutenant Governor, Marketing for the Caribbean District of Toastmasters International, responsible for membership and club growth.

Ms. Gardner attended the University of the West Indies, and has completed specialist post graduate certificates in Japan and Holland.

GTTP Russia

Nina Kuznetsova

Nina has been GTTP Russia Director since 2003. During this time the program has been growing year on year both in the number of students reached across the country and raising the profile of GTTP in Russia, encouraging more young people to participate, more adults to teach and volunteer, more businesses and more society and government leaders to support GTTP mission, goals and objectives.

Nina is a graduate of Moscow State University and has a doctorate degree in Linguistics and Cross-Cultural Field. Her professional expertise included working with Pushkin Institute of the Russian Language, International Centre for Foreign Language Intensive Instruction at Moscow State University and Moscow International University.

For the last 11 years Nina has been Executive Director of Junior Achievement Russia (JA Russia). Recipient of 2007 JA Worldwide Platinum Individual Achievement Award, Nina has been successful in networking and establishing new business and educational partnerships to more actively promote through Junior Achievement –Young Enterprise programs knowledge and skills associated with entrepreneurship and benefits of entrepreneurial culture. In April 2009 JA Russia’s achievements were recognized through the Model Nation 2009 Award.

Within her professional field Nina has organized partnerships with a number of organizations including the US AID/Russia, IREX, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, All–Russia Small Business Association “OPORA of Russia” and others. Among her major accomplishments was the endorsement of JA and GTTP Russia programs by the Government Policy Department of Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and joint project with Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation targeted on promotion of entrepreneurial education in the regions of Russia. Hosting Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in Russia in November 2008 Nina, alongside of her board, staff and supporters organized more than 8,000 events with participation of over 360,000 young Russians and received Champion Catalyst Award.

GTTP Hungary

Attila Horvath

Dr. Attila Horvath is a graduate of ELTE University, Hungary, faculty of Arts and has his Ph.D. from Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. He spent almost twenty years in educational research at the National Institute of Public Education and served as the Deputy Director of the Institute before opening his own consultancy, Horváth & Dubecz Consulting Kft in 1998.

He was one of the founders of the Foundation for School Development, the organization which hosts the Travel and Tourism Programme since 1990, in Hungary and has been the director of Hungarian TTP from the very beginning to date.

Dr. Horvath has lectured and led teacher training seminars in many European countries as well as in Jamaica, Russia, Africa, and the USA. He is an accredited European Union Expert Evaluator, Member of the Hungarian Sociological Association and also a certified Change Management Consultant and expert in quality management in education.

GTTP Brazil

Mariana Aldrigui

Mariana Aldrigui has both business and academic experience. Now on the faculty of the University of Sao Paulo, she began her career in the tourism industry in 1994, specializing in marketing and commercial relations including work for a travel agency specializing in cruises, a public organization and two hotel chains, Caesar Park Hotels and Blue Tree Hotels.

In 2001 she was invited to develop her academic career as an assistant professor at Centro Universitário Ibero Americano, in São Paulo. From 2001 to 2005 she was a faculty member of SENAC São Paulo, PUC Minas (Catholic University of Minas Gerais) and visiting professor at Centro de Excelência em Turismo at University of Brasília (UnB).

Currently she is lecturer and researcher at the University of São Paulo, in the Leisure and Tourism graduate programs. She is a lecturer in Tourism Scenarios in Brazil , Global Tourism Trends and is also responsible for student internships, which brings her in constant contact with tourism companies.

Her research projects focus on tourism politics and education, and she is author and co-author of two books and several scientific papers. She is a member of the Tourism, Knowledge and Innovation research group at the university.

Her consulting projects include development of training programs for city tourism bureaus, such as the Sao Paulo Convention and Visitors Bureau, where they train public sector and private companies in customer service.

Mariana received her Degree in Tourism at the University of Sao Paulo (USP), a Master in Communications Sciences (Tourism) also at USP, and her Doctoral Degree in Urban Geography at USP. She is a member of the Sao Paulo City Tourism Council and three other professional associations in the state.

GTTP China

Hanqin Qiu Zhang

Hanqin Qiu Zhang is Professor of international tourism at Hong Kong Polytechnic. She received her BA (Hons) from Nankai University in Mainland China, her MA degree from University of Waterloo in Canada, and her PhD from University of Strathclyde in UK. She has been teaching China tourism related subjects at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Hanqin Qiu Zhang is Professor of international tourism. She received her BA (Hons) from Nankai University in Mainland China, her MA degree from University of Waterloo in Canada, and her PhD from University of Strathclyde in UK. She has been teaching China tourism related subjects at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Her research interests are tourism studies, consumer behaviour, and China hotel and tourism development and policy issues.She has served as guest editor for the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management and the Journal of Vacation Marketing on Special Issues for China Hotel and Tourism Development. She was also the regional editor for the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. She has published more than 50 refereed articles in major international journals (e.g. Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management and Journal of Vacation marketing). She is also a regular keynote speaker at the hotel and tourism academic and industry conferences/ workshops in different countries. Dr. Zhang has been actively involved in consulting and executive training projects in Asia. Since 2000 she has worked for World Tourism Organisation as a consultant to develop tourism master plan for Yunnan province 1999, tourism master plan for Heilongjiang province in China in 2002, and tourism and hotel curriculum plan for Guilin Institute of Tourism in China in 2007.

GTTP Canada

Heather Elder

Heather began working with Tourism HR Canada in 2007. In addition to managing GTTP Canada (known nationally as the Canadian Academy of Travel and Tourism), she oversees the Emerit Learning Management System, liaising with Canadian and international partners to coordinate training and certification programs for tourism and hospitality students and professionals. She has also contributed to the marketing and business development teams, with a focus on social media and web content development.

Her previous experiences in tourism and hospitality include positions at museums, visitor information centres, and travel agencies. She has worked internationally in South Korea and Australia.

GTTP Hong Kong

Chammy Lau

Chammy Lau is an experienced educator and trainer for both youth and tourism practitioners for Hong Kong. She graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, with Bachelor of Arts Honors degree in Tourism Management and Master of Science in Information Systems. Prior to teaching, she worked in the hospitality and tourism industries for a number of years. Her concrete experiences in the travel agency and hotel sector provided her with strong industrial support in addition to her academic credentials.

Ms Lau is a Certified Hospitality Educator conferred by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. As accredited by the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, she is also a licensed trainer for the inbound tourist guide training course. Currently a Lecturer in the Hong Kong Community College of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, she has played an active role to incorporate the Work-Integrated-Education with the school curriculum.

Apart from the training profession, Ms Lau had been involved in various consultancy projects for government and tourism-related organizations; for instance ,the Guangzhou Ning Nan group (Garden Hotel in Guangzhou), Education Bureau of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Examinations & Assessment Authority.

GTTP Ireland

Natasha Kinsella

In 2015 Natasha received her second Masters with first class honors in Training & Education from Griffith College Dublin. Prior studies included her first Masters in Hospitality Management from DIT 2000; she is also an honours graduate of Hotel & Catering Management from Athlone Institute of Technology and in 2004 received her second degree, a BSc in Human Resources Management CIPD. Natasha was awarded the prestigious “IHI Young Hospitality Manager of the Year ” 2000.

While holding a number of positions within the Tourism & Hospitality Industry she also spent time Lecturing in AIT within Tourism & Hospitality. After progressing mainly in operational positions within France, England & Ireland, she went on to gain experience in Fáilte Ireland as Professional Development advisor involving her in many key projects in support of the Tourism & Hospitality sector.

In 2007 Natasha was delighted to take on the role fulltime as Chief Executive of the Irish Hospitality Institute. This role is focused on the professional development of the Tourism & Hospitality sector directly through those employed. Supports are given through training & education, dissemination of information & networking opportunities to address the quality of tourism services provided. As part of this role she sat on many boards including the National Hygiene Partnership, the advisory group for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, is company secretary of the Hospitality Trust, externs within Institutes of Technologies and was appointed by the Minister for Education on the Governing Body of Athlone IT and also the National Apprenticeship Council of Ireland in recent years.

After completing a decade with the Irish Hospitality Institute (awarded a Fellowship of IHI in 2012) she has now secured a new role managing regional skills, an initiative under the Department of Education, Regional Skills Manager Dublin. In this role she will focus on Training and Education and fostering collaboration between industry and educational providers (both Further Ed & Higher Ed). The key objectives here are driven by the National Skills Strategy and Action Plan for Jobs for regional development.

GTTP Philippines

Nur Laminero

Nur will be responsible for the establishment of GTTP in the Philippines through the partnership of dnata with various learning institutions in the region. He is the Key Account Manager of dnata Travel Inc. in Clark, Philippines ensuring contact centre partner relationship, governance and performance. He is also responsible for site HR, Recruitment, and the dnata Contact Centre Training & Quality.

To ensure top quality employees and steady pipeline for dnata Clark growth, he established the university connection with various learning institutions around the region that has significantly improved the recruitment success of the company for entry level roles. The relationship also aims to improve the quality of Tourism graduates to make them employment ready particularly for dnata.

Nur completed his bachelor’s degree from University of the Philippines in 2003. Immediately he joined the government as Project and Training Manager for livelihood and extension services where he established multiple projects to support livelihood of people in less privilege locations in the Philippines. He partnered with various private and non-government institutions to support funding and provide assistance to local governments for sustainability of projects.

Nur then joined the BPO travel industry in 2006 where he established 10 years of operational delivery, client management, training and quality, workforce management, human resource, and recruitment experience. Prior to joining dnata, he was a Business Director for Sutherland Global services where he managed travel businesses located on various sites. His travel background includes experiences with Expedia, Egencia Corporate Travel, Royal Carribean, and dnata. He has certifications on COPC High Performance Management, CIAC Customer Relations Management, and six sigma black belt training. Nur also used to be a financial planner affiliated with Registered Financial Planners of the Philippines and International Marketing Group where he regularly taught personal financial management.

GTTP South Africa

Elsabe Engelbrecht

Elsabé Engelbrecht is the Provincial Subject Coordinator for Tourism Education with the Northern Cape Province Department of Education in South Africa. She has almost thirty years of experience as a teacher and extensive experience as a Tourism education manager.

As a member of the national training team for the South African National Department of Basic Education, she has been involved in the training of Tourism teachers, the writing of the amended curriculum for Tourism and as a national examiner for the exit level examinations in Tourism. She also attended two GTTP Teacher Student Conferences with her learners in 2000 and 2002 in Hungary and France respectively. In 2005, Elsabe was one of 10 Tourism teachers in South Africa to receive the prestigious “American Express Fellows Award”, awarded by the American Express Foundation in New York, for excellence in Tourism Education. She has published three textbooks and presented a Tourism student support program on national television in South Africa. She is currently a member of the Umalusi research team responsible for the analysis of the intended and assessed Tourism curricula.

GTTP Tanzania

Halima Mohamed Mamuya

Halima Mamuya has experience in tourism, environmental protection, economic development and women’s affairs, and has served as a member of the Tanzanian parliament, a District Commissioner, Tanzanian tourism official, and company director and owner.

Halima Mamuya has experience in tourism, environmental protection, economic development and women’s affairs, and has served as a member of the Tanzanian parliament, a District Commissioner, Tanzanian tourism official, and company director and owner.She began her career with the Tanzanian Tourist Corporation in 1980 and served in various administrative positions, including representing her country abroad. She also worked in the Journalist Environmental Association, as the national focal point of the UN International Convention to Combat Desertification, a District Commissioner, Geita District, and as the Secretary General of the Tanzania National Women organization.

From 2005 to 2010 she was a member of Parliament representing Arusha women. She has also served as a board member or chair person of several organizations including the Ngorongoro Conservation Area authority, the Arusha Women, Environmental and Youth Development Association, and Miracle Corners of Tanzania. She founded her import export and consulting company in 2007 and is involved in mining and export of industrial minerals and gemstones, and tourism and investment promotion. Her educational background includes business studies at the Helsinki School of Economics and graduate courses at the University of Oslo.

Halima is developing the GTTP Tanzania pilot, which is a program of GTTP East Africa. The focus of this new program, like GTTP’s other programs, is on sustainable tourism, human capital development and introducing young people to careers in this industry. She will soon be starting a secondary-school pilot.

GTTP UK

Claire Steiner

A CIPD qualified HR & Training Consultant, Claire has over 20 years working in the HR and Training field, predominantly in the travel and tourism industry. This includes seven years as Head of HR for the Travelbag Group and since 2004 as a freelance consultant working with a variety of clients including ABTA – the Travel Association, Elman Wall, Qatar Airways, Feefo, Baxter Hoare, lastminute.com and Mystical Tours. Claire has been a member of the board of The Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) and Chair of ITT’s Education and Training Committee since 2005. The Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) manages GTTP UK as part of its work with young people seeking careers in the industry.

The ITT is the UK’s professional membership body for individuals employed in the travel and tourism industry. Established in 1956, the ITT is committed to raising professional standards within travel and tourism through links with education and industry. One of the ITT’s principal objectives is to raise and maintain professional standards in the industry. ITT provides support and guidance, together with guidelines for the formal recognition of individual progress. ITT shows its commitment to careers and education by recognition of good practice, student awards, consultancy and much more. For more information visit www.itt.co.uk.

Claire’s role at the ITT involves leading on a number of initiatives, including the ITT endorsement of training programmes, industry recognition of University and College Tourism Departments, the Future You Student Conferences, ITT Graduate Scheme and the ITT annual Student Awards.

She was heavily involved with the development and launch of the Diploma in Travel and Tourism. She also worked closely with the Diploma Development Team on Employer Engagement across the sector as well as the Schools Network on Diploma Delivery, providing training on diploma delivery and the sector to practitioners across England.

In 2014 Claire became an industry ambassador for the international charity “Just a Drop” www.justadrop.org

Leading organisations including TUI (UK), ABTA, Merlin Entertainments and People 1st are represented on the Advisory Board for GTTP UK.

Of Counsel

Ray Shanks

Educated at St. Andrews College in Dublin, and later at the Blackrock Academy, he commenced his career in Irish Banking at The Royal Bank of Ireland before transferring to Merchant banking in the City of London with American Express International Banking Corporation. He joined the Card Division of American Express, pioneering the use of cards in Europe. Then, as a Director of American Express Ireland, he built the card business in Ireland to become a household recognised brand. He was also responsible for the development of Travel Related Services, which expanded his portfolio to include the business development of the Card, Business Travel and Travellers Cheques.

In his capacity as a Marketing Consultant he has specialised in Corporate Communications, Strategy and Planning and has lectured on various aspects of marketing, public & media relations and communications. He has successfully completed marketing assignments for Corporate Organisations, Outplacement Firms, Executive Search Companies, Renewable Energy Firms, Beauty Groups, Craft Organisations and Hospitality Institutes.

In his business capacity he was elected and appointed Chairman of Hospitality Ireland, a Cooperation Ireland initiative – to successfully bring together tourism and hospitality organisations from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as an integral part and contributor to the peace initiative, to create greater understanding, development, dialogue and to share best practice to the greater good of the industry on the island of Ireland. He was honoured for his work by the industry, being elected and enrolled into the College of Fellows of the Irish Hospitality Institute.

He has been President of SKAL International- Dublin, Chairman of World Vision, and Director of The Panel of Chefs of Ireland, a member of the Marketing Institute, the Marketing Society and the Public Relations Institute of Ireland. He served as Secretary General of the Ferns Union of Parishes, Financial Advisor to the Diocese of Cashel & Ossory Orphans Society and as a board member of his alma mater, St Andrews College and is a Past President of the College Alumni. He is also a member of the Lions Clubs International.

Over 1,300 students actively participate in the program. The students participate in the clubs once a week and must have done the 3-year curriculum and 60 hours of unpaid internships to successfully complete the program.